Between September 17, 2013 and January 31, 2014, the makers of TYLENOL® will make a $1 donation to Children’s Health Fund for every photo approved & shared on SmilingItForward.com. Read below to find out more. This post is brought to you by TYLENOL.

With my baby girl I was so excited to rush every little milestone. I couldn’t wait for her to sit up, start crawling, or walking. With my son it’s the complete opposite. I’ve barely celebrated his first two teeth because I’m still in denial that they’ve broken through. I want him to stay my tiny infant forever.

These past few weeks he’s begun to lurch himself forward like he wants to crawl. He doesn’t have it down pat yet, so when we were sitting outside taking photos, he face-planted onto our driveway. I immediately scooped him up and rocked him, I felt so terrible. He was ok, but had a little scrape on his nose that lasted a few days…His first little play scar.

It’s exciting when your baby’s first tooth finally breaks through, but getting through all the pain before it cuts can be rough.

I interviewed trusted pediatrician, best-selling author and mother of two Dr. Tanya Altmann to find out how to help a teething baby, and got a few tips for handling those first boo boos.

BabyCenter: When does teething generally start?

Dr. Tanya: Teething is something moms often ask about. The first tooth usually appears around six to eight months of age, but all moms around three months of age say ‘I think my baby’s teething, they’re gnawing on their fists, they’re drooling a bit more.’ Sometimes they are teething a bit early, but usually it’s just a developmental phase they all go through. They learn how gnaw on their fists, they’re drooling more, so all babies will start showing those signs some parents will mistake for teething as early as three months of age. Typically the fussiness, the drooling, the truly gnawing from teething, that will happen a little later. Usually anywhere between six to eight months of age though sometimes that first tooth, will pop through as early as three or four months.

BabyCenter: So it’s usually a process that lasts a few days, not week or months?

Dr. Tanya: Teething should not make them that uncomfortable for that long. When your child is uncomfortable it can seem like forever. That’s why it’s ok, you should go ahead and treat them, they don’t have to be uncomfortable.

I think a lot of things get blamed on teething. You hear parents say ‘Oh they have a fever, they could be teething, oh they’re fussy, could they be teething?’ Teething is not dangerous, but it can sometimes be uncomfortable, and when your child is uncomfortable, you want to help ease their discomfort. And then we’ll be smiling and happy again.

BabyCenter: What can I do when my baby’s teething?

Dr. Tanya: There’s no need for your baby to be uncomfortable. I usually let parents know it’s ok to give an appropriate dose of Infant Tylenol, to help ease some of their discomfort. You can also give them sometime cool to chew or gnaw on. I like to get a baby washcloth and get it wet and roll it up and stick it in the freezer and make it cold. Or you can take a cold teething ring and let them kind of gnaw on that. Usually the uncomfortable part of teething will only last for a couple of days. Then the tooth comes through and they’re happy and smiling again. Until they get their next one.

That’s really what parents want to see is that feel-better smile after they’re teething or after they’re sick.

BabyCenter: First boo boos are scary. What are common injuries babies incur and how can we tell if they are serious?

Dr. Tanya: Sometimes accidents happen, so moms often call me and say ‘I was holding onto the baby but they rolled off the couch. Or, ‘They were sitting there and they flopped over, what do I need to look for?’ And so usually it’s how your baby is acting. So they may cry for a moment when they have a minor bump or bruise or get injured. But after they’re done crying, they’re acting normal, eating and drinking as usual, they’re smiling, and then that’s very reassuring. Sometimes I’ll tell parents to take their hand and feel all over them and make sure nothing is hurting them. Keep an eye on them for a couple of hours and if they’re acting fine, that’s great, but if they’re crying uncontrollably, like they’re in pain, if they’re vomiting or not acting right, they’ll need to be seen an evaluated.

About Tanya Remer Altmann, MD, FAAP

Tanya Altmann, MD, FAAP is a UCLA-trained pediatrician practicing in Southern California, and the happy mother of two. In addition to her private practice, Dr. Tanya is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA and the Chief Medical Advisor for the Newborn Channel. Dr. Tanya is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics where she is frequently called upon to communicate complicated medical issues into easily understood concepts. Of course, this makes her a perfect partner in the TYLENOL® SMILING IT FORWARD™ campaign, which she participates in proudly.

Beyond her extensive medical work, Dr. Tanya is also an accomplished writer, authoring the best-selling book Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents’ Top 101 Questions About Babies and Toddlers. She is Editor-in-Chief of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ parenting book The Wonder Years and Associate Medical Editor of their best selling Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5.

And if that isn’t impressive enough, Dr. Tanya also serves as a child health expert for numerous news programs and talk shows, including Today (NBC) and KTLA 5 Morning News @9 (CW Los Angeles). She’s been quoted in hundreds of periodicals including Newsweek, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and Parents magazine. Her popular parenting workshops help moms and dads through the day-to-day ups and downs of raising their kids. She responds to caregivers concerns and blogs on controversial topics for a variety of health and parenting websites including Web MD and TODAYMoms. In addition, Dr. Tanya serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for Sharecare, a new interactive healthcare website.

Inspired by the heartwarming smile of a child, and the millions of photos that moms proudly post online of their children every day, TYLENOL® is SMILING IT FORWARD™ to help spread the smile of good health to children in need.

When you share a photo of something that makes you smile on SmilingItForward.com, TYLENOL® will make a donation* to Children’s Health Fund, an organization with a fleet of mobile medical clinics across the country that helps ensure a doctor’s visit is always within reach for underprivileged children. Use #SmilingItForward to help spread the word and start SMILING IT FORWARD™ today!

* Between September 17, 2013 and January 31, 2014, the makers of TYLENOL® will make a $1 donation to Children’s Health Fund for every photo approved & shared on SmilingItForward.com, with a minimum donation of $75,000 and maximum donation of $100,000. Restrictions apply. For more information, visit SmilingItForward.com. For information about Children’s Health Fund, visit ChildrensHealthFund.org.

6 Responses to Expert advice for soothing teething and owies

This post drips of advertisement. Also, if you do your research, kids and adults are frequently overdosed with Tylenol. There aren’t even appropriate dosage guidelines on the packaging for infants under 2 years old. You have to ask your pediatrician.

Any mom will tell you that a frozen wash cloth and even teething tablets will often do the trick. There often isn’t a need to dose with Tylenol.

Hi Jennifer, thanks for post. I find it very educating. I could only add one more tip from my experience – Teething rails. They are very useful and handy. Cheers.

Julia Snydersays:

November 20, 2013 at 10:32 am

Love this! I have a newborn and have been researching and looking for info on all types of ailments. This is one of the best articles I’ve found so far. I was given a copy of Keeping Your Kids Out of the Er recently as well, it’s by Pediatrician Chris Johnson, I wish he was my kids Dr. for sure! But his book touches on all those questions so far that I have been unsure about, and also what to expect when I do in fact have to take my kids into the hospital! Love it! His page is chrisjohnsonmd.com, he’s got so much info great for new moms and dads!

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